The Wisconsin Urban Forestry Insider
An electronic newsletter of breaking news and valuable information for the Urban Forest community in Wisconsin and beyond.
Fall colors reaching their peak in Wisconsin
WDNR Photo
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October 4, 2006
Save the Date!
WAA Fall Seminar - Thursday, October 19, 2006
Stevens Point Holiday Inn
The registration brochure for the Wisconsin Arborist Association's Fall Seminar has been delayed in mailing. As an alternative, please download the WAA Fall Seminar registration information (PDF, 845KB). Due to this delay no late fee will be charged except for registrations taken at the door.
This issue's contents:
In the News
- Aspen are Dying and No One Knows Why
- Seattle Mayor Wants to Plant 649,000 Trees (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
- Keeping Urban Areas Cooler with Trees
- Urban Forestry Images
- Schwarzenegger Signs Global Warming Bill
Specifically Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Arborist Association Fall Seminar
- Beetle Larvae Thrive on Dying Pine Trees (Wausau Daily Herald)
- Wisconsin Fall Color Report
Emerald Ash Borer
- Wisconsin EAB Response Plan
- Janesville ArborFest
- Wisconsin Surveys for EAB
- Program to Replace Ash Trees in Michigan (WLNS News)
Tools For Your Job
- WI Plant Disease Clinic Data
- Urban Forest Research Center Newsletter
- Remote Sensing and Invasive Species
- Urban Forestry Technology Tools
Conferences & Seminars
Aspen are Dying and No One Knows Why
The aspen, an emblematic tree of the West and the most widely distributed tree in North America, is rapidly and mysteriously dying. Its rapid decline is bewildering scientists and forest ecologists, who say they cannot pinpoint a cause. There is no shortage of suspects. Forest experts, who met this month at a conference in Utah to discuss the problem and look for solutions, say it may be insects, drought or climatic stress in general or overgrazing by animals like elk and cattle. Or it may be none or all of the above.
Seattle Mayor Wants to Plant 649,000 Trees (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickel's wants to plant 649,000 trees to restore canopy cover lost to development. That's about one new tree for every man, woman and child in Seattle. That's what it will take for regreening the city over the next three decades. Nickels is looking to reverse the current trend and keeping Seattle from becoming "the city formerly known as emerald." His Urban Forest Management plan was recently released.
Seattle Mayor Wants to Plant Trees
Keeping Urban Areas Cooler with Trees
Researchers at the Center for Urban and Environmental Change at Indiana State University are investigating a theory that an urban landscape of circular streets, parks, lawns, including buildings, can help minimize the urban heat island effect, in which impervious surfaces such as concrete, asphalt, and certain building materials, keep cities warmer than the surrounding countryside.
For more information, visit the Indiana State University web site.
Urban Forestry Images
The Metropolitan Design Center's recent Urban Forestry Images Project features images related to the urban forest, that is vegetation growing in urban areas. From parks to container plants, this vegetation is important for people and nature. Their web site features online slide shows featuring some of the best of the Design Center's images, links to other image collections and urban forestry resources, and showcases tips for finding further urban forestry images within the Design Center's own Image Bank. The online slide shows reflect the results of a survey of experts in a range of fields related to urban forestry; including planning, landscape architecture, forestry, and parks and recreation.
Schwarzenegger Signs Global Warming Bill
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law a sweeping global warming initiative that imposes the nation's first cap on greenhouse gas emissions, saying the effort kicks off "a bold new era of environmental protection." Standing on picturesque Treasure Island with San Francisco's skyline in the background, Schwarzenegger called the fight against global warming one of the most important issues of modern times.
California Global Warming Bill
Wisconsin Arborist Association Fall Seminar
WAA fall seminar will focus on Emerald Ash Borer with presentations on "Making Tree Injections Work to the Best of Their Ability", "Current EAB Information and Policies" and "Diagnosing EBA". The seminar will be held on Thursday, October 19 at the Holiday Inn in Stevens Point.
Beetle Larvae Thrive on Dying Pine Trees (Wausau Daily Herald)
If you hear a chomping noise coming from pine trees, it might not be your imagination. The larvae of insects called pine sawyers are chewing their way through local tree trunks. Although the insects do not actually kill the trees, they can provide the finishing blow to declining trees, leaving landowners with brown-topped pines.
Pine Sawyer Beetles Attracted Pines
Wisconsin Fall Color Report
Fall officially arrived at 11:03 p.m., Friday, September 22 with the arrival of the autumnal equinox, but Wisconsin's Northwoods has a jump on fall, with some areas already reporting 40 to 60 percent color change. Visit the Wisconsin Department of Tourism's Fall Color Report for current fall color conditions.
Wisconsin EAB Response Plan
Should emerald ash borer be identified in Wisconsin, the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection along with partner agencies will follow a prepared response plan.
Janesville ArborFest
Come celebrate the beauty and diversity of Janesville's urban forest at Palmer Park on October 14, 2006 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., rain or shine. Self-guided color tours, food, music,games, displays, vendors and artisans. ArborFest is co-sponsored by: the Janesville Shade Tree Advisory Committee, Janesville Leisure Services Dept., and the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin.
Palmer Park is located at 2201 E. Racine Street, Janesville - just off I-90.
Wisconsin Surveys for EAB
State and federal crews began locating and marking trees as work continues in the search for emerald ash borer in Wisconsin. Survey work started on Oct. 2. Crews from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have begun work to identify ash trees to sample for emerald ash borer.
Program to Replace Ash Trees in Michigan (WLNS News)
Homeowners who've had trees destroyed by the emerald ash borer can get help replacing them. Michigan state officials announced a new pilot program they say will help restore the canopy of trees over southeast Michigan. 1,600 trees of various species will be made available next spring at a reduced cost to homeowners. Lynne Boyd, Dept. of Natural Resources: "It's providing a variety of trees that will diversify the canopy, so we won't be so susceptible to a particular insect or disease."
WI Plant Disease Clinic Data
Brian Hudelson and staff provide a two-week summary of woody ornamental plant diseases observed at the University of Wisconsin Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic.
WI Plant Disease Clinic (PDF, 23KB)
Urban Forest Research Center Newsletter
This timely newsletter from the Forest Service Urban Forest Research Center features:
- "Using Volunteers to Effectively Collect Tree Data"
- Plus, New Research in the Works:
- L.A.'s Million Trees Initiative
- Oakland Watershed Restoration and Protection Study
- Sacramento Urban Forest and Clean Air Project
- A Green Streets Stormwater Management System for Paved Areas
Remote Sensing and Invasive Species
The Remote Sensing Applications Center (RSAC) is sponsoring a workshop incorporating remote sensing and forest health at their center in Salt Lake City, Utah, November 15-17. The workshop is designed for both those interested in invasive species management and those in the GIS field, and is intended to bring experts in each field together. It will use examples derived from the last several years of research into forestry applications of remote sensing to instruct participants in how satellite remote sensing can be used to manage invasive species that target forests.
Remote Sensing & Invasive Species
Urban Forestry Technology Tools
Additional federal funds have been release for the following urban forestry technology projects. Look for these important resources in the future.
$15,000 for publications including Sketch to Street DVDs, Urban Watershed Forestry Manuals, Inner City Forum, and Living Memorial Design Collaborative.
$10,000 to International Society of Arboriculture to scope out the need for a new toolkit on municipal ordinance and policy development.
$6,500 to Rhode Island Tree Council to coordinate i-Tree Training in New England/New York (in addition to previously awarded funds).
$20,000 to National Arbor Day Foundation to facilitate planning and delivery of three workshops on Urban Forest Management Planning Areawide
$5,000 to PSW Research Station (Greg McPherson), to begin data analysis on the new Indianapolis Reference City for the lower Midwest
$18,900 to Davey Research Group to facilitate and deliver i-Tree Training in the Mid-Atlantic
$15,000 to Bluejay Software to complete phase III of Electronic Tree Risk Calculator (ETRAC) in readiness for i-Tree integration
$32,500 to SUNY-ESF, (Dave Nowak) to support UFORE-Hydro in several Midwest watersheds and to complete 20 state reports on tree cover statistics
$12,000 to Morton Arboretum, (Edith Makra) to complete a pilot project on "Homeowner Assn Outreach and Education"
$8,000 to a EnviroScience, Inc., in Ohio to complete reference materials on Urban Land Use Planning CD-ROM
$12,500 to Penn State University, (Bill Elmendorf) to convert their Tree Commissions Handbook into a national reference and interactive web site
$7,000 to Baltimore Parks and People Foundation to facilitate a two-day workshop on Urban Forestry Business Ventures: Tree Nursery and Wood Utilization
$80,000 to University of Vermont, (Morgan Grove) to facilitate team review of the Forest Opportunity Spectrum, Spatial Analysis Project, and RPA assessments, apply FOS in additional cities, and to develop a common decision-support platform for delivery of landowner assistance and UCF programs across the landscape continuum.
More Information on Conferences and Seminars
For more conferences and seminars check out WDNR's Urban Forest Web site
About the Insider
The Wisconsin Urban Forestry Insider is intended as a quick networking tool for all people actively working in the area of urban and community forestry, especially in the state of Wisconsin.
Items that cannot wait for our quarterly print newsletter, Wisconsin Urban & Community Forests, will appear here.
The Insider is produced biweekly by the Urban and Community Forestry program of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, Wisconsin. Past issues will be archived on the UF pages on the WDNR web site.
We are happy to accept your suggestions and contributions. Send them to the editor, at Laura.Wyatt@Wisconsin.gov. Or call her: 608/267-0568.
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